Breadcrumb navigation

New books

Northmead Creative and Performing Arts High School Library

TITLE

AUTHOR

ABOUT

FIND

1916

World War One

Tucker, Alan

The artillery bombardment did not let up for days. How anyone, on either side, could still be alive, was beyond me. The stream of casualties soon turned into a rivera raging, flooded river. The 'cooee' call to arms takes Syd from the Mallee to the fields of France. As part of the mobile veterinary unit, his horses are trained for war but face new and deadly weapons. Battle-weary diggers, shipped from Gallipoli and joined by fresh recruits from home, are met by a formidable enemy at Fromelles and along the River Somme, in a year that will be forged in legend and memory, in the trenches and the conscription battles at home.

F TUC

1917

World War One

Gardiner, Kelly

The German planes patrolled in hunting squads. They flew fast fighting craft, streaking across the sky in tight formation. The greatest of them was the Red Barron, the deadliest ace on the Front. He'd shot down twenty-one of our planes in a single month. And now we were in his firing line. The war in France rages in the skies, and support for the war in Australia turns cold. Alex flies high above the trenches of the Western Front, while a world away his sister Maggie finds herself in the midst of political upheaval. Somehow, both must find the courage to fight on.

F GAR

400 MINUTES OPF DANGER

Survival fiction

Jack Heath

Brad has fallen into the lion enclosure, and the big cats are hungry! Charith takes the wheel of an out-of-control bus after an explosion. Iresha hears strange noises... from beneath the seabed. Daniel crawls into a waste crusher after a building collapseand then it gets switched on. Tak's class goes on an excursion to an army base and now an experimental military robot is hunting them. Jack Heaths next 10 nail-bitingly dangerous short stories will fascinate and terrify during each full 40-minute count down, as the dangerous situations play out right down to the last crucial moment. Who will live and who will die? Forty minutes of danger, in 40 minutes* of reading time!

PRC

F

HEA

A Small Madness

Touchell, Dianne

Rose didn't tell anyone about it. She wondered if it showed. She looked at herself in the mirror and turned this way and then that way. She stood as close to the mirror as she could, leaning over the bathroom basin, looking into her own eyes until they disappeared behind the fog of her breath. Looking for something. Some evidence that she was different now. Something had shifted inside her, a gear being ratcheted over a clunky cog, gaining torque, starting her up. But it didn't show. How could all of these feelings not show? She was a woman now but it didn't show and she couldn't tell anyone. Recommended for more mature readers.

F

TOU

Adam Spencer's World Of Numbers

Non-fiction

Recreational mathematics

Adam Spencer

If you love numbers and like to laugh, then you'll enjoy finding out the crucial role that numbers play in our understanding of sport, space, computers, cooking, and a whole lot in between. This book decodes barcodes, shows how many people you need in a room before there'll be a birthday in common and a whole lot more weird stuff.

PRC

513.2

SPE

Admission

Survival Fiction

Barry Jonsberg

Pandora Jones wakes in a hospital - her body weak, her memory providing only flashes of horrific scenes of death. She soon discovers that her family has succumbed to a plague pandemic which almost wiped out humanity. Pan is one of the survivors who have been admitted to The School. Pan suspects there are terrible secrets being kept from the students. To survive she must decide who to trust and risk everything to uncover the truth.

F F

JON

All Fall Down

Adolescence; murder mystery

Carter, Ally

Grace Blakely is absolutely certain of three things : she isn't crazy, her mother was murdered, someday she's going to find the man with the scar, and then she is going to make him pay.

F Fre

Another Night In Mullet Town

Friendship, urbanisation

Herrick, Steven

Life for Jonah and Manx means fishing for mullet at the lake, watching their school mates party on Friday night and wishing they had the courage to talk to Ella and Rachel. But now their lakeside town is being sold off, life doesn't seem so simple. Manx holds a grudge against the wealthy blow-ins from the city and Jonah just wants his parents to stop arguing. One memorable night at the lake will change everything. A verse novel.

PRC

F

HER

Atmospheric

Climate change

Wilkinson, Carole

Talking about the weather used to be small talk, now it's the hottest topic on Earth. We can't survive without Earth's atmosphere, yet most of the time we ignore it. We treat our atmosphere as a rubbish dump for our greenhouse gas emissions. Slowly but surely, what we are doing is changing Earth's climate. Atmospheric cuts through the many voices raised around climate change to tell the story of our atmosphere, what is putting our climate at risk and what we can do about it.

PRC

363.738

WIL

Beck

Historical fiction 1930s

Peet, Mel & Rosoff, Meg

Born from a street liaison between a poor young woman and an African soldier in the 1900s, Beck is soon orphaned and sent to the Catholic Brothers in Canada. Shipped to work on a farm, his escape takes him across the continent in a search for belonging. Enduring abuse and many hardships, Beck has times of comfort and encouragement, eventually finding Grace, the woman with whom he can finally forge his life and shape his destiny as a young man. A picaresque novel set during the Depression as experienced by a young black man, it depicts great pain but has an uplifting and inspiring conclusion.

F PEE

Becoming Aurora

Gangs, migrants

Kasmer, Elizabeth

After sixteen-year-old Rory (Aurora) is the only one of her gang caught in a racially motivated attack on a local Indian restaurant, she is sentenced to community service at St Mary's aged care facility. There she meets Jack, an old tent boxing champion with enough of an attitude to match Rory's. After being threatened for her role in the attack, Rory is surprised to discover a connection between Jack and one of the migrant boys Essam. Feeling disillusioned with her gang, Rory takes up Essam's offer to teach her to box. Through her new friendships and interests, Rory learns more about the migrant community and she finds not only a new pack, but herself as well.

PRC

F

KAS

Before you Forget

Family relationships

Lawrinson, Julia

Year 12 is not off to a good start for Amelia. Art is her world, but her art teacher hates everything she does; her best friend has stopped talking to her; her mother and father may as well be living in separate houses; and her father is slowly forgetting everything. Even Amelia.

F

LAW

Beyond Carousel

Dystopian fiction; survival

Ritchie, Brendan

Everyone you know has disappeared. What would you do? Nox, Taylor and Lizzy are desperate to uncover the secret of the Disappearance. But there is more to the new world than they ever suspected, and the danger is only just beginning. They quickly learn they are not the only survivors to roam the broken city. Saving those they love will mean risking everything - and time is running out. This is the thrilling sequel to Carousel..

F

RIT

Black

Mystery and suspense

Ferris, Fleur

Ebony Marshall is in her final year of high school. Five months, two weeks and four days. She can't wait to leave the town where she's known only as 'Black'. Because of her name, of course. But for another reason, too. Everyone says Black Marshall is cursed. Three of her best friends have died in tragic accidents. After Oscar, the whispers started. Now she's used to being on her own. It's easier that way. But when her date for the formal ends up in intensive care, something in quiet little Dainsfield starts to stir. Old secrets are revealed and terrifying new dangers emerge. If only Black could put all the pieces together, she could work out who her real enemies are. Should she run for her life, or stay and fight?

PRC

F

FER

Blood For Blood

Sequel to Wolf by Wolf

Fantasy/historical fiction

Graudin, Ryan

In 1950s Germany, the war is over but, for the resistance, the fight continues. Death camp survivor, Yael, who has the power to skinshift, to change her appearance at will, is on the run after shooting and killing Hitler. But, the truth of what happened is far more complicated and the consequences are deadly. As Yael and her comrades move into enemy territory, trying to turn the tide against the New Order, dark secrets reveal dark truths. Includes violence. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

PRC

F

GRA

Catalyst, The

Fantasy adventure

Coggan, Helena

Rose Elmsworth has a secret. For 18 years, the world has been divided into the magically Gifted and the non-magical Ashkind, but Rose's identity is far more dangerous. At fifteen, she has earned herself a place alongside her father in the Department, a brutal law-enforcement organisation run by the Gifted to control the Ashkind. But now an old enemy is threatening to start a catastrophic war, and Rose faces a challenging test of her loyalties

F

COG

Clancy Of The Undertow

Personal identity, sexuality, adult themes, language

Currie, Christopher

In a dead-end town like Barwen a girl has only got to be a little different to feel like a freak. And Clancy, a typical sixteen-year-old misfit with a moderately dysfunctional family, a genuine interest in Nature Club and a major crush on the local hot girl, is packing a capital F. As the summer begins, Clancy's dad is involved in a road smash that kills two local teenagers. While the family is dealing with the reaction of a hostile town, Clancy meets someone who could possibly - at last - become a friend. Not only that, the unattainable Sasha starts to show what may be a romantic interest. In short, this is the summer when Clancy has to figure out who the hell she is.

PRC

F

CUR

Close To The Wind

Adventure, families, refugees

Walter, Jon

A war torn country - a town that is burning. A single ship waits at the port for those who can escape. How can a boy and his grandfather hope to get on board? And will they find his mother before it leaves? When Papa meets two old friends, he makes a deal that could save them all. But this is only the beginning of the journey for Malik. If he is to escape he will need all of his courage, his sense of right and wrong and a magic trick that he must practice till it's perfect.

PRC

F

WAL

Crongton Knights

Boys fiction

Wheatle, Alex

Living on the South Crongton council estate has its worries, sometimes major - and life for McKay has been even tougher since his mum died. His dad has been working all hours of the night and day to try and stop the bailiffs from breaking down their door. His brother, Nesta, is always riding the streets at night, tempting trouble. And now, having strayed off his turf on a 'heroic' (if misguided) mission to help out a girl, McKay finds himself facing a friend's crazy ex-boyfriend, some power tripping hood-rats and a notoriously violent gangster with a vendetta that hits too close to home for comfort. How he got himself in this situation, poor McKay is not quite sure. He never asked for trouble ...But during one mad-cap night of adventure and danger, he will find out who his true friends are and what it means to stick with your family. Usually suitable for students in years 9 and 10.

PRC

F

WHE

Cut Out, The

Spy adventure

Heath Jack

Fero isn't a spy. But, he looks exactly like Troy Maschenov, a ruthless enemy agent. What starts out as mistaken identity quickly turns into a complicated and dangerous plan. Fero is recruited to fight for his country. He has to impersonate Troy, enter enemy territory, hunt down a missing agent and bring her home in time to prevent a devastating terror attack. Hastily trained, loaded up with gadgets and smuggled across the border, Fero discovers the truth about espionage. Getting in is easy. Getting out alive is hard.

PRC

F

HEA

Deception

Book 2 in series

Dystopian fiction

Jonsberg, Barry

Pan is still struggling to distinguish between her dreams and reality. When she wakes in the Infirmary her mind replays the sight of Nate running along the shoreline and the way his body froze and then flopped after he was shot. But her memories hold more questions than answers and she doesn't know who to trust. When she forms an unlikely alliance with Jen to try to make sense of everyone's haunting similar memories and the conflicting information about The School, she finds herself with unexpected enemies.

PRC F

JON

Deep Water

Supernatural mystery

Hersey, Lu

When her mum vanishes, Danni moves to a tiny Cornish fishing village with Dad - where the locals treat her like a monster. As the village's dark, disturbing past bubbles to the surface, Danni discovers that she's not who - or what - she thought she was. And the only way to save her family from a bitter curse is to embrace her incredible new gift.

PRC

F

HER

Demigod Files, The

Riordan, Ricky

How do you handle an encounter with Medusa on the New Jersey interstate? What's the best way to take down a minotaur? Become an expert on everything in Percy's world with this must-have guide to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

PRC

F

RIO

Devil and Her Love Song Vol 9

Manga

Tomori, Myoshi

Unable to tell Maria his feelings for her, Shin decides to channel all his energy into playing the piano. His hard work pays off when he lands a role in a big concert, but will Maria even be there on the day of the show?

F TOM

Devil and Her Love Song Vol 10

Manga

Tomori, Myoshi

Even though Maria wants to be with Shin, Shin fears that getting close to Maria will trigger her traumatic memories. When Maria starts having hallucinations, will they be able to overcome the past together? Or will the struggle only tear them apart?

F TOM

Devil and Her Love Song Vol 11

Manga

Tomori, Myoshi

Maria finally gets to be with her beloved Shin, but her mysterious inabiilty to speak continues to haunt her. Because the cause may be related to her past, she decides to go to Yokosuka, the town she grew up in. What life-changing surprises await her? the

F TOM

Devil and Her Love Song Vol 12

Manga

Tomori, Myoshi

Things for Maria have been looking up - especially since she reconciled with her father, and her relationship with Shin has been progressing. Unfortunately, Shin's hand injury gets worse, and the only way to treat it means an operation overseas ...!

F TOM

Devil and Her Love Song Vol 7

Manga

Tomori, Myoshi

As Maria begins to recall bits and pieces of her tragic past, Yusuke tells her that he'll stay by her side and support her, no matter what. Meanwhile, Maria still hopes to reconcile with Anna, so she enrols in the same music school that Anna attends.

F TOM

Devil and Her Love Song Vol 8

Manga

Tomori, Myoshi

The start of her second year in high school brings someone unexpected into Maria's life - Shintaro Kurosu, a brash first-year student who does as he pleases. He takes a strong liking to Maria and sticks to her, making Maria and her crush Shin Meguro extremely uncomfortable.

F TOM

Diary of William Shakespeare, The

Historical Fiction

French, Jackie

The diary of William Shakespeare, gentleman is part comedy, part love story, the threads of Shakespeare's life drawn from his plays. Could the world's greatest writer truly put down his pen forever to become a gentleman? He was a boy who escaped small town life to be the most acclaimed playwright of the land. A lover whose sonnets still sing 400 years later; a glover's apprentice who became a gentleman. But was he happy with his new riches? Who was the woman he truly loved? The world knows the name of William Shakespeare. This book reveals the man - lover, son and poet. Based on new documentary evidence, as well as textual examination of his plays, this fascinating book gives a tantalising glimpse at what might have been: the other hands that helped craft those plays, the secrets that must ever be hidden but - just possibly - may now be told.

F FRE

Dogs, The

Supernatural, suspense

Stratton, Allan

Set in a remote part of the Canadian countryside, this book is a first person narration by 15 year old Cameron. He and his mother have just moved yet again to keep out of the way of Cameron's violent father. This time their new 'home' is a deserted old farmhouse with a disturbing history.

PRC

F

STR

Endgame: The Complete Training Diaries

Survival fiction

Frey, James

Before they were players... Before the calling... They trained to be selected as the one to save their ancient bloodline - and win Endgame. In this collection of Training Diaries novellas, follow Marcus, Chiyoko, Sarah, Alice, Aisling, Baitsakhan, Jago, An, Shari, Kala, Maccabee, and Hilal through sacrifices and betrayals, broken hearts and broken bones, as they shed their normal lives and transform into the Players.

PRC

F

FRE

Fail Safe, The

Sequel to The Cut Out

Spy thriller

Heath, Jack

Everyone seems to know who Fero is, except Fero. He's either a ruthless boy soldier from Besmar or an innocent teen recruit from Kamau. Whatever, he's running out of time to decide. If he doesn't help a renegade spy steal a politician's briefcase, his two countries could end up in a full blown nuclear war, the kind that no one wins.

PRC

F

HEA

Fall, The

Adolescence

Preller, James

The summer before school starts, Sam's friend and classmate Morgan Mallen kills herself. Morgan had been bullied. Maybe she kissed the wrong boy. Or said the wrong thing. What about that selfie that made the rounds? Morgan was this, and Morgan was that. But who really knows what happened? As Sam explores the events leading up to the tragedy in journal format, he must face a difficult and life-changing question: Why did he keep his friendship with Morgan a secret? And could he have done something-anything-to prevent her final actions?

F

PRE

Fault in Our Stars, The

Romance

Green, John

Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

PRC

F

CRE

Footpath Flowers

Lawson, Jon Arno & Smith, Sydney

On a walk with her father, a little girl gathers a bunch of wild flowers found hidden in the places people usually don't look. Then, in small, loving gestures, the little girl transforms the world around her by giving each one away. A beautiful wordless picture book.

PRC

F

LAW

Forgetting Foster

Family

Touchell, Dianne

Foster, aged 7 suddenly recognised the feeling that rolled over him and made him feel sick. It was this: Dad was going away somewhere all on his own. And Foster was missing him. He likes toy soldiers, tadpole hunting, going to school and the beach. Best of all, he likes listening to his dad's stories. But then Foster's dad starts forgetting things. No one is too worried at first. Foster and Dad giggle about it. But the forgetting gets worse. And suddenly no one is laughing anymore.

Prc

F

tou

Frankie

Plozza, Shivaun

Frankie Vega is angry. Just ask the guy whose nose she broke. Or the cop investigating the burglary she witnessed, or her cheating ex-boyfriend or her aunt who's tired of giving second chances. When a kid shows up claiming to be Frankie's half-brother, it opens the door to a past she doesn't want to remember. And when that kid goes missing, the only person willing to help is a boy with secrets of his own. Frankie's search for the truth could change her life, or cost her everything.

F

PLO

Freedom Swimmer

Historical fiction; set in China 1960s

Chim, Wai

Ming survived the famine that killed his parents during China's 'Great Leap Forward', and lives a hard but adequate life, working in the fields. When a group of city boys comes to the village as part of a Communist Party re-education program, Ming and his friends aren't sure what to make of the new arrivals. They're not used to hard labour and village life. But despite his reservations, Ming befriends a city boy called Li; they form a bond over evening swims and shared dreams. But as the bitterness of life under the Party begins to take its toll on both boys, they begin to imagine freedom.

PRC

F

CHI

Girl in Pieces

Teenage drama

Glascow, Kathleen

As she struggles to recover and survive, seventeen-year-old homeless Charlotte 'Charlie' Davis cuts herself to dull the pain of abandonment and abuse. Suitable for readers in Year 10 and above.

F

GLA

Gracefully Grayson

Realistic fiction; teenage drama

Polonsky, Amy

Hiding the truth about her awareness that she is a girl trapped inside a male body, Grayson finds new strength to embrace her true identity from an unexpected friendship and a supportive teacher.

PRC

F

GRA

Hate Race, The

Autobiography

Beneba Clarke, Maxine

Suburban Australia. Sweltering heat. Three bedroom blonde-brick. Family of five. Beat-up Ford Falcon. Vegemite on toast. Maxine Beneba Clarke's life is just like all the other Aussie kids on her street. Except for this one, glaring, inescapably obvious thing. ... a memoir about growing up black in white middle-class Australia. A challenging read; usually read by Years 10 and above.

PRC

A821

BEN

Hell And High Water

Historical whodunnit

Landman, Tanya

Set in 18th century Devon, this is the story of Caleb, the son of a poor puppeteer. When his father is wrongfully accused of theft and sentenced to transportation, Caleb is left alone in the world. As a mixed race boy living in an age of slavery, he has always been treated with fear and mistrust. Without his father he is more vulnerable than ever, and is forced to seek out his estranged aunt. After a body washes up on a nearby beach, Caleb finds himself involved in a dastardly plot.

PRC

F

LAN

Hilda And The Bird Parade

Fantasy; graphic novel

Pearson, Luke

Hilda is thrust into a new life in the bustling city of Trolberg, far from the magic and wonder of her birthplace in the Fjords. Lamenting the loss of her enchanting, wooded surroundings, Hilda wonders if she'll ever recapture the same excitement in this strange new concrete forest. Hilda is set for a thunderbolt of surprise as she discovers that her new city is not quite as plain as it seems and neither is the impending and mysterious annual Bird Parade!

PRC

F

Pea

Hilda And The Black Hound

Fantasy; graphic novel

Pearson, Luke

Hilda meets the Nisse, a mischievous but charismatic bunch of misfits who occupy a world beside but, also, somehow within our own, and where the rules of physics don't quite match up. Meanwhile, on the streets of Trolberg, a dark spectre looms. A graphic novel.

PRC

F

Pea

Hilda And The Midnight Giant

Fantasy; graphic novel

Pearson, Luke

Hilda finds her world turned upside down as she faces the prospect of leaving her snow-capped birthplace for the hum of the megalopolis, where her mother, an architect, has been offered a prestigious job. During Hilda's daily one-and-a-half hour trek to school, she looks for ways to stall her mother's decision. She conspires with the beings of the mystical Blue Forest to delay the inevitable. But, we don't know whether they will they help or hinder her. And, more importantly, we need to know who is the mysterious giant that turns up at night.

PRC

F

Pea

Hounded, The

School story; realistic issues with a hint of the ridiculous

Butters, Simon

On his fifteenth birthday, Monty is at rock bottom. Ignored by his parents, bullied at school, and with a brain that's prone to going walkabout, he's all by himself. Until he meets the black dog for the first time. It's just like any other dog, except that only Monty can see it. And it talks. And Monty's not sure whether it's a friend - or a foe. The black dog gets him talking to pretty, popular Eliza Robertson for the first time. It takes him to places he's never been. Eventually it will take Monty, and the people around him, to the very edge.

F

BUT

Hour Of The Bees

Realistic fiction; family tale

Eagar, Lindsay

While her friends are enjoying their summer holidays, twelve year old Carol is helping her parents move the grandfather she's never met into a home for people with dementia. At first, Carol avoids prickly Grandpa Serge. But, his crazy stories, about a healing tree, a green-glass lake and the bees that will bring back the rain and end a hundred years drought, begin to fascinate her. As the thin line between magic and reality starts to blur, Carol must decide for herself what is possible and what it means to be true to her roots.

PRC

F

EAG

Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01

Science fiction; drama

Kauffman, Aime & Kristoff, Jay

The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that's little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, exes Kady and Ezra - who are barely even talking to each other - are forced to fight their way onto the evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit. But the warship is the least of their problems. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results. The fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

PRC

F

KAU

In the Skin of a Monster

Realistic fiction

Barker, Kathryn

Three years ago, Alice's identical twin sister took a gun to school and killed seven innocent kids; now Alice wears the same face as a monster. She's struggling with her identity, and with life in the small Australian town where everyone was touched by the tragedy. Just as Alice thinks things can't get much worse, she encounters her sister on a deserted highway. Recommended for more mature readers.

F

BAR

Into Tordon

Science fiction / fantasy

Kingbolt, Z F

No one knows thirteen-year old Bethlyn is 'BGwarrior', champion of the online survival game Tordon. But they do think she's a cheat. So when she meets her fellow gamers outside the abandoned house of Tordon's creator, and they discover her identity, her number one nemesis, Zane, pushes her inside. Beth pulls him in with her just as the door slams shut, trapping them both. Encountering a multitude of strange new worlds, the two of them must push their gaming skills to the limit if they're to ever return home.

F

KIN

Knife of Never Letting Go, The

Ness, Patrick

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown, a town where everyone can hear your thoughts. One month before he is due to become a man Todd discovers that the town has been keeping secrets from him. Todd is soon going to learn about the dangerous choices of growing up. Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World.

F

NES

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club

Goodman, Alison

Lady Helen Wrexhall is set to make her debut at the court of Queen Charlotte and officially step into polite Regency society and the marriage mart. Little does Helen know that step will take her from opulent drawing rooms of Mayfair and the bright lights of Vauxhall Gardens into a shadowy world of missing housemaids and demonic conspiracies. Standing between those two worlds is Lord Carlston, a man of ruined reputation and brusque manners. He believes Helen has a destiny beyond the ballroom; a sacred and secret duty. Helen is not so sure, especially when she discovers that nothing around her is quite as it seems, including the enigmatic Lord Carlston.

F

GOO

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact

Sequel Book 2

Goodman, Alison

After the scandalous events at her presentation ball in London, Lady Helen is banished from her family and has taken refuge at the fashionable seaside resort of Brighton. There she is training as a Reclaimer with the covert Dark Days Club and must learn to fight the dangerous energy-wielding Deceivers. As she struggles to put aside her genteel unbringing, Helen realises that her mentor, Lord Carlston, his fighting his own inner battle. Has the foul Deceiver energy poisoned his soul, or is something else driving him towards violent bouts of madness? Either way, Helen is desperate to help the man with whom she shares a deep but forbidden connection.

F

GOO

Leaving, The

Mystery

Altebrando, Tara

Eleven years ago, six kindergartners went missing without a trace. After all that time, the people left behind moved on, or tried to. Until today. Today five of those kids return. They're sixteen, and they are fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mum she barely recognizes, and doesn't really recognize the person she's supposed to be, either. But she thinks she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, except they're entirely unable to recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max--the only one who hasn't come back. This leaves Max's sister, Avery, wanting answers. She wants to find her brother--dead or alive--and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story.

F

ALT

Liccle Bit

Realistic fiction

Wheatle, Alex

Liccle Bit might be the second shortest guy in his year, but he's got big dreams. When Venetia King - the hottest girl at school - starts paying attention to him, it looks like he might be on a fast track to a first date. But South Crongton's notorious gang leader has taken an interest in him too. As a new gang war breaks out. Liccle Bit finds himself running errands. And when there's a killing on the estate, he's forced to question his choices. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

PRC

F

WHE

Lies We Tell Ourselves

Talley, Robin

Sarah Dunbar is one of the first black students to attend the previously all-white Jefferson High School. An honours student at her old school, she is put into remedial classes, spit on and tormented daily. Linda Hairston is the daughter of one of the town's most vocal opponents of school integration. She has been taught all her life that the races should be kept 'separate but equal.' Forced to work together on a school project, Sarah and Linda must confront harsh truths about race, power and how they really feel about one another.

F

TAL

Messy: a novel

Realistic fiction

Cocks, Heather & Morgan, Jessie

Brooke wants to start a blog revealing the inner workings of Hollywood in order to be in the spotlight but has no time to write one, so she enlists the help of a ghost-writer, seventeen-year-old Max McCormack, who needs the money but not the hassles when the adorable actor Brady Swift comes between them.

F

COC

Much Ado About Shakespeare

Non-fiction; brief history; popular history

Bixley, Donovan

Shakespeare has never been out of fashion. In his lifetime, he was incredibly successful and, after his death, Shakespeare's works were published to the world. This is a new interpretation of Shakespeare's stages, a play on words, which sheds light on the colourful and exuberant world of Shakespeare's life and times. You won't find the sainted genius, solemn with quill and ink-stained hand. High of brow he may have been, but never high-brow. Shakespeare was in the thick of it. Written in easy prose and includes lots of pictures.

PRC

822.3

B

My Best Friend is a Goddess

Eglington, Tara

Emily has been friends with Adriana since year one, way back when Adriana had a huge gap between her teeth and was super skinny. Emily wasn't any less awkward looking, but the girls are the best of friends and that is the way it has always been. When Adriana's mother dies, very suddenly, everything changes. Adriana's father accepts a job in Borneo and the girls spend Year 10 apart. Despite the rubbish Internet connection (on Adriana's side of things) the girls manage to stay in touch. When Adriana returns home she has gone from awkward to AMAZING and turned into a goddess! But the saving grace is that Adriana is no different on the inside. She's still the same best friend Emily knows and loves, and they're certainly not going to lose their friendship over the fact that Adriana has lucked out genetically. Emily just wishes that one guy, any guy, would want to get to know her for some other reason besides being Adriana's best friend. In the meantime, she's committed to helping Adriana manage the throngs of potential suitors that are texting, emailing and adding Emily on Facebook in the hope of an introduction to 'the goddess', as Adriana is still pretty shy around boys and no-one's made her want to step out of her shell. That is, until she sees the brand new and super cute guy in Emily's art class. The one who really is called Theo James and makes Emily laugh. The one who doesn't seem all that affected by Adriana's appearance. Two best friends crushing on one very cute guy...someone's going to get their heart broken.

F

EGL

My Lady Jane: the not entirely true story

Humour; historical fiction

Hand, Cynthia; Ashton, Brodi; & Meadows, Jodi

Edward is the King of England. He's also dying, which is inconvenient, as he's only sixteen and he'd rather be planning his first kiss than who will inherit his crown. Jane, Edward's cousin, is far more interested in books than romance. Unfortunately, Edward has arranged to marry her off, to Gifford, to secure the line of succession. And Gifford is, well, a horse. He becomes a chestnut steed every morning, but wakes as a man at dusk, with a mouthful of hay. Very undignified. The plot thickens as the three are drawn into a dangerous conspiracy, and have to engage in some conspiring of their own. But can they pull off their plan before it's off with their heads?

F

HAN

Newt's Emerald

Nix, Garth

After the Newington Emerald is stolen at the height of a conjured storm, eighteen year old Lady Truthful Newington goes to London to search for the magical heirloom. But, as a well-bred young lady cannot hunt the metropolis for a stolen jewel, she has to disguise herself as a man. Lady Truthful is soon caught up in a dangerous adventure where she must risk her life, her reputation and her heart. Her father's life and even the fate of England may depend upon her recovering the Newington Emerald.

PRC

F

NIX

Night on Fire

Historical fiction

Kidd, Ronald

When thirteen-year-old Billie Sims learns that the Freedom Riders, a civil rights group protesting segregation on buses in the summer of 1961, will be travelling through Anniston, Alabama, she thinks change could be coming to her stubborn town. But what starts as angry grumbles soon turns to brutality, and Billie is forced to reconsider her own views.

F

KID

No Virgin

Realistic drama

Cassidy, Anne

This is Stacey's story. Stacey is the victim of a terrible sexual attack. She does not feel able to go to the police, or talk about it to anybody other than her best friend, Patrice who is outraged, when she cannot persuade her to go to the police but encourages Stacey to write everything down. Suitable for mature students, Year 10 or above.

F

CAS

Not If I See You First

Realistic drama

Lindstrom, Eric

Parker Grant doesn't need perfect vision to see right through you. That's why she created the Rules: Don't treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. When Scott Kilpatrick, the boy who broke her heart, suddenly reappears at school, Parker knows there's only one way to react - shun him so hard it hurts. She has enough to deal with already, like trying out for the track team, handing out tough-love advice to her painfully niaive classmates, and giving herself gold stars for every day she hasn't cried since her dad's death. But avoiding her past quickly proves impossible, and the more Parker learns about what really happened - both with Scott, and her dad - the more she starts to question if things are always as they seem. Combining a fiercely engaging voice with true heart, Not If I See You First illuminates those blind spots that we all have in life

PRS

F

LIN

One Half From The East

Realistic fiction

Hashimi, Nadia

Obayda's family is in need of some good fortune. Her father lost one of his legs in a bomb explosion, forcing the family to move from their home in Kabul to a small village, where life is very different and Obayda's father almost never leaves his room. One day, Obayda's aunt has an idea to bring the family luck - dress Obayda, the youngest of her sisters, as a boy, a bacha posh. Now Obayda is Obayd. Life in this in-between place is confusing, but once Obayda meets another bacha posh, everything changes. The two of them can explore the village on their own, climbing trees, playing sports, and more. But their transformation won't last forever, unless the two best friends can figure out a way to make it stick and make their newfound freedoms endure.

PRC

F

HAS

One Memory of Flora Banks, The

Romance

Barr, Emily

A girl with recurring memory loss chases down the boy she loves based on the one memory she is able to hold onto.

F

BAR

One Step

Teenage realistic fiction

Daddo, Andrew

At fifteen, Dylan is struggling with everything. His explosive acne, his pushy younger sister, his nagging mum, his distant dad and his complete inability to attract any girl. Struggling but surviving. When Dylan's creative writing piece is read to the class, it sets off a chain of events, including unlikely interest from girls, a friend's betrayal and viscous physical and verbal bullying attacks. Dylan's frantic roller coaster of emotions culminates in a revelation that could make or break his survival. Challenging read. Usually read by students in Years 9, 10 or above.

PRC

F DAD

One Thousand Hills

Historical fiction

Roy, James & Zihabamwe, Noel

Agabande, Rwanda, April 1994. Pascal and the children in his small village play with the toys they make, go to school and church, and do their chores. But, there are whispers and looks, messages of hate on the radio, and people are leaving. Pascal's simple but happy world is about to change forever. As a ten year old, co-author Noel Zihabamwe actually lived through these atrocities.

PRC

F

ROY

One Would Think The Deep

Zorn, Claire

It's 1997 and seventeen-year-old Samuel Asher is mourning the sudden loss of his mum. After her death from a brain aneurism, Sam's Aunty Lorraine takes him to live in her dilapidated house on the South Coast of New South Wales. Sam's mum cut off all ties with Aunty Lorraine seven years ago and Sam hasn't seen his aunt or cousins, Michael (Minty) and Shane, since. Despite being suspicious of Aunty Lorraine and Shane and feeling like they are perfect strangers, the easy bond Sam shared with Minty as ten year olds skating on their Nan's driveway and pissing on her geraniums, is rekindled instantly. Minty has blonde dreadlocks, tattooed arms and Labrador enthusiasm. He is also a talented surfer headed for the pro circuit. As Sam navigates his grief, he also has to forge a new identity with a family as unfamiliar to him as the new home in which he suddenly finds himself. When their Nan returns after her disappearance a decade before, Sam is forced to re-evaluate everything he thinks he knows about himself, his family and his place in the world. Recommended for students in Years 9, 10 or above.

PRC

F

ZOR

Our Chemical Hearts

Sutherland, Krystal

Henry Page has never been in love. The slo-mo, can't-eat-can't-sleep kind of love he's been hoping for just hasn't been on the cards-at least not yet. Henry's too busy trying to get into a semi-decent college and become editor of his school newspaper, a dream three years in the making. The rest of his spare time he spends with his best friends, Lola and Murray, playing video games and advising them on their own sordid love lives. Then he meets Grace Town, the elusive new girl in school, who wears oversized boys' clothing, walks with a cane, rarely seems to shower, and is hiding crushing secrets. She's hardly who Henry expected his dream girl to be, but when the two are chosen to edit the paper together, sparks fly. After all this time, Henry's about to learn firsthand just how disastrous the road to first love can be-and that sometimes it's the detours that end up mattering much more.

F

SUT

Peony Lantern, The

Historical fiction; mystery

Watts, Frances

When Kasumi leaves her remote village for the teeming city of Edo, her life is transformed. She has been chosen by a samurai to become a lady-in-waiting to his new wife. Kasumi is surprised as she has no skills for this role and, worst of all, she is always in trouble for speaking her mind. Surely, this will get her into trouble with her new mistress. When Kasumi learns of a secret that puts them both in danger, she must solve the mystery, behind the danger they face, in order to save herself and her mistress.

PRC

F

WAT

Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian

Riordan, Ricky

PRC

F

RIO

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Riordan, Ricky

Percy was just a normal kid, going to school, playing basketball, skateboarding. The usual. Until he accidently vaporized his maths teacher. Now he spends his time battling monsters and generally trying to stay alive. A task made even more difficult since Zeus, God of the sky, thinks Percy has stolen his lightning bolt.

PRC

F

RIO

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Riordan, Ricky

PRC

F

RIO

Percy Jackson and the The Battle of the Labyrinth

Riordan, Ricky

As the son of a Greek God, Percy has had his share of near-death disasters - and now his arch-enemy Luke wants to invade via an ancient labyrinth. If he succeeds, thousands of bloodthirsty monsters will attack.

PRC

F

RIO

Percy Jackson and the Titan's Curse

Riordan, Ricky

Five heroes will begin this quest, not all will return home. They must battle Titan's skeleton warriors, defeat a half-lion, half-human and save Annabeth.

PRC

F

RIO

Promising Azra

School drama; cultural drama; realistic fiction

Thurloe, Helen

Azra's dreams of finishing high school in Sydney and going to university are threatened by her uncle's plans to marry her off to an older cousin she has never met - will she have to choose between her family and her happiness? Azra is sixteen, smart and knows how to get what she wants. She thinks. When she wins a place in a national science competition, she thinks her biggest problem is getting her parents' permission to go. But she doesn't know they're busy arranging her marriage to an older cousin she's never met. In Pakistan. In just three months' time...Azra always thought she'd finish high school with her friends and then go on to study science, but now her dreams of university are suddenly overshadowed. And it all becomes complicated when her uncle finds out about Pratik a young man from the local boys school who is quite keen on Azra. Can she find a way to do what she wants, while keeping her parents happy? Or does being a good daughter mean sacrificing her freedom?

PRC

F

THU

Racing The Moon

School drama; realistic fiction

Morgan, Michelle

In 1930s Glebe, Joe Riley has to be creative to make pocket money. He's watched his dad keep ahead of the law and he's sure that he can too. When his parents send him to a Catholic boarding school, Joe is homesick and lonely. He meets the darker side of human nature and is at odds with the school, especially Brother Felix. Expelled, Joe is sent to a reform school where life is tough. But, through working the land, Joe eventually finds inner strength, peace and true freedom. Mature themes. Usually read by Years 9, 10 or above.

PRC

F

MOR

Reckoning

Series – Book 3

Survival fiction

Jonsberg, Barry

Pandora Jones's problems appear insurmountable. She must convince her team that nothing is as it seems and that they must escape and expose The School to save the world from the plague she unwittingly inflicted on it. The only thing Pan has on her side is her gift of intuition, and her belief in the people she cares about. But with the clock ticking, can she find a way to stop the plague, and should she do it at any cost?

PRC

F

JON

Reg Saunders: An Indigenous War Hero

Non fiction

Graphic novel; historical fiction

Dolan, High & Threlfall, Adrian

The little-known story of Reg Saunders, the first indigenous Australian to become an officer in the Army. He survived the World War II battlefields in the Middle East, North Africa, Greece, Crete and New Guinea, and excelled as a military leader. Find out how war transformed a determined young man, born in 1920 from country Victoria, into a war hero. Reg went on to serve with distinction in the Korean War and become a pioneering figure for indigenous rights. He died in 1990. A graphic novel.

PRC

940.54

SAU

Road To Winter, The

Dystopian fiction

Smith, Mark

Since a deadly virus and the violence that followed killed his parents and wiped out most of his community, Finn has lived alone on the rugged coast with only his loyal dog Rowdy for company. He has stayed alive for two winters - hunting and fishing and trading food, and keeping out of sight of the Wilders, an armed and dangerous gang that controls the north, led by a ruthless man named Ramage. But Finn's isolation is shattered when a girl runs onto the beach. Rose is a Siley - an asylum seeker - and she has escaped from Ramage, who had enslaved her and her younger sister, Kas. Rose is desperate, sick, and needs Finn's help. Kas is still missing somewhere out in the bush. And Ramage wants the girls back - at any cost. Usually read by students in Years 9 or 10 or above.

PRC

F

SMI

See How They Run

Sequel Bk 2

Murder mystery

Carter, Ally

Grace Blakely believed that finding the truth about her mother's murder would finally give her peace, but now she knows that it is only the beginning of the secrets that will dominate her life--and make her a target on Embassy Row in Adria.

F

CAR

Silver Moon: reflections on life, death and writing

Autobiographical memoir

Courtney, Bryce

The Silver Moon gathers together some of the most personal and sustaining life-lessons from Australia's favourite storyteller. In short stories and insights, many written in his final months, Bryce reflects on living and dying, and how through determination, respect for others and taking pleasure in small moments of joy, he tried to make the most out of life.

NON

824

COU

Small Things

Realistic fiction

Tregonning, Meg

An ordinary boy in an ordinary world. This wordless picture book tells the story of a boy who feels alone with his worries but who learns that help is always close by.

PRC

F

TRE

Special Ones, The

Bailey, Em

He keeps us here because we're Special. Esther is one of the Special Ones - four people who live under his protection in a remote farmhouse. The Special Ones are not allowed to leave, but why would they want to? Here, they are safe from toxic modern life, safe from a meaningless existence, safe in their endless work. He watches them every moment of every day, ready to punish them if they forget who they are - all while broadcasting their lives to eager followers on the outside. Esther knows he will renew her if she stops being Special, and that renewal almost certainly means death. Yet she also knows she's a fake. She has no ancient wisdom, no genuine advice to offer her followers. But like an actor caught up in an endless play, she must keep up the performance - if she wants to survive long enough to escape.

F

BAI

Split Infinity: Lifespan Of Starlight Book 2

Sequel

Kalipsakis, Thalia

A split-second decision, a single time-skip. The world that you know, gone in a blink. Now a sharp and adept time-skipper, Scout jumps years ahead to find the world transformed. Technology has accelerated and the people she knows have grown up, or disappeared. Most pressing, the government that she was trying to escape has used the time to prepare for the return of the time skippers. Caught between finding the mother she left behind and time-skipping ahead with Mason, a series of events lead Scout deeper into the tunnel than ever before. The only way out is by the strength of her love and the power of her mind. The illusion of time has one more surprise, one with the power to change everything..

F

KAL

Stars at Oktober Bend

Millard, Glenda

A powerful, captivating story about Alice, who is reaching out to express herself through her beautiful-broken words, and Manny who is running to escape his past. When they meet they find the tender beginnings of love and healing. Alice is fifteen, she has acquired brain injury, the result of an assault, and her words come out slow and slurred. But when she writes, heart-words fly from her pen.. Manny was once a child soldier. He is sixteen and has lost all his family. He appears to be adapting to his new life in this country, where there is comfort and safety, but at night he runs, barefoot, to escape the memory of his past. When he first sees Alice, she is sitting on the rusty roof of her river-house, looking like a carving on an old-fashioned ship sailing through the stars. Recommended for students in Years 9, 10 or above.

PRC

F

MIL

Take The Key And Lock Her Up

Carter, Ally

Desperate to protect her younger brother Jamie, Grace Blakely, her brother, and her friend Alexei are on the run from the forces in Adria who threaten them because Jamie is the true heir to the throne--but it is hard to hide from Prime Minister Alexandra Petrovic and the secret society that is part of Grace's family heritage, and even harder to know who to trust.

F

CAR

Tales of Jahani:

The Daughter of Nomads

Book 1

Hawke, Rosanne

First moon of summer, 1662: On the edge of the Mughal Empire, fourteen-year-old Jahani lives with her mother in the village of Sherwan. Surrounded by the majestic snow-topped mountains, her life is happy but simple. Jahani enjoys spending time with her best friend Sameela who is about to be married. So why is Jahani plagued by dreams of fire and a child who has lost her mother? And why does she feel like she doesn't belong? After Jahani and Sameela are attacked in the bazaar, Jahani discovers all is not as it seems. Before long, Jahani is fleeing on a warhorse with the mysterious protector Azhar. Surrounded by deceit and danger, Jahani does not know who to trust as Azhar leads her higher north over treacherous terrain towards the fabled Qurraqoram Mountains. But when they reach their destination, will Jahani find out the truth and be in control of her own destiny?

PRC

F

HAW

Tales Of Jahani:

The Leopard Princess

Sequel to Daughter of Nomads

Hawke, Rosanne & Cornish, Dm

First Moon of Autumn, 1662. After reuniting with the nomads, fourteen year old Jahani is finally home. With her red hair dyed black, she can travel through the Qurraqoram Mountains without fear of being captured. But, the tyrants and war lords who pursue Jahani will not rest in their battle for power. Before long, the nomads are attacked. To fulfil her true destiny, Jahani must try to discover a pathway to peace in the northern kingdoms.

PRC

F

HAW

The Ghosts of Heaven

Sedgwick, Marcus

The spiral has existed as long as time has existed. It's there when a girl walks through the forest, the moist green air clinging to her skin. There centuries later in a pleasant green dale, hiding the treacherous waters of Golden Beck that take Anna, who they call a witch. There on the other side of the world, where a mad poet watches the waves and knows the horrors they hide, and far into the future as Keir Bowman realises his destiny. Each takes their next step in life. None will ever go back to the same place. And so their journeys begin...

F

SED

There Will Be Lies

Lake, Nick

Shelby Cooper, nearly eighteen, has been overprotected by her single mother all her life but after a car accident, Shelby's mother steals her away from the hospital, revealing that Shelby's father is not dead, but rather a violent man who promised to hunt them down.

F

LAK

Trouble Tomorrow

Whitebeach, Terry & Enadio, Sarafino Wani

Obulejo, a sixteen-year-old Madi boy, is asleep when the town is attacked by Rebel troops. Separated from family, Obulejo flees on a terrifying journey. Once across the border in a refugee camp, he is safer but has no future -- until he joins a pioneering peace education program and begins to find ways to create a more hopeful life for himself and others.

FWHI

Waer

Caddy, Meg

As night fell, something stirred the darkness. Birds shrieked, rising into the air as the peace cracked and fell apart. Flashes of crimson uniform cut the smothering black of the woods. The smell of smoke lifted through the boughs and choked the leaves. A drum beat out a steady pulse as soldiers tore over the dead leaf matter, hacking their way through the web of forest. The prisoner ran. When Lowell Sencha finds the strange girl lying as if dead on the riverbank, he is startled to find that she is like them: waer. Human, but able to assume the form of a wolf. The Sencha family's small community has kept itself sequestered and unnoticed, free from persecution. The arrival of a fellow traveller, and a hunted one at that, threatens their very survival. Sure enough, the soldiers of the blood-purist Daeman Leldh soon descend on the village searching for her, burning and slaughtering. Lowell and the mysterious stranger are among the few to escape. And now they must find their way to the city of Luthan where, she says, they will find people to help them bring down Daeman Leldh. If she can persuade them not to kill her.

PRC

F

CAD

Within These Walls

Historical fiction

Bavati, Robyn

Whatever is coming, we'll face it together, as a family. As long as we're together, we'll be okay. For Miri and her family, life in Warsaw is full of simple joys. The smell of freshly baked challah, the pink flowers that bloom in their courtyard, the promise of summer holidays, and Fridays when everyone comes together to celebrate Shabbat. But the Nazis have a hold on Europe, and have stepped up their discrimination and attacks on Jews. How can Miri's family stay together, when the invading Nazis come to destroy them? Miri's world closes in on her, as she and her family are forced into the ghetto, where they must try to survive, against impossible odds. Based on true events.

PRC

F

BAV

Yassmin's Story: who do you think I am?

Abdel-Magied, Yassmin

At 21, Yassmin found herself working on a remote Australian oil and gas rig; she was the only woman and certainly the only Sudanese-Egyptian-Australian Muslim woman. With her hijab quickly christened a 'tea cosy', there could be no more unlikely place for Yassmin to want to be. This is the story of how show got there, where she is going, and how she wants the world to change. It is about more than Yassmin. It is a story about growing up migrant and Muslim in Australia post 9/11, navigating the usual teenage dramas, on top of adjusting to now being seen as the face of the 'enemy'. It is about the strength of women, about learning to lead and understanding the power of failure and a well-placed joke. Usually read by students from Year 10 or above.

PRC

305.38

ABD

Year's Best YA Speculative Fiction 2015

Short stories

Science fiction; fantasy

Rios, Julia & Kransnostein, Alisa

"This anthology is perfect for teens who are interested in science fiction and fantasy – but who don't want just stories about white, straight, able-bodied rich kids and their vampire problems.'

F

YEA

Yellow

Jacobsen, Megan

If 14 year-old Kirra is having a mid-life crisis now then it doesn't bode well for her life expectancy. Her so-called friends bully her, whatever semblance of a mother she had has been drowned at the bottom of a gin bottle ever since her dad left them for another woman, and now a teenage ghost is speaking to her through a broken phone booth. Kirra and the ghost make a pact. She'll prove who murdered him almost twenty years ago if he makes her popular, gets her parents back together, and he promises not to haunt her. Usually read by students from Years 9, 10 or above.

PRC

F

JAC

Zac & Mia

Betts, A J

The last person Zac expects in the room next door is a girl like Mia, angry and feisty with questionable taste in music. In the real world, he wouldn't - couldn't - be friends with her. In hospital different rules apply, and what begins as a knock on the wall leads to a note - then a friendship neither of them sees coming. You need courage to be in hospital, different courage to be back in the real world. In one of these worlds Zac needs Mia. And in the other Mia needs Zac. Or maybe they both need each other.